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mollycoddling

verb

present participle of mollycoddle
as in spoiling
to treat with great or excessive care refused to mollycoddle her malingering son and sent him off to school

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for mollycoddling
  1. spoiling
  2. indulging
  3. nursing
  4. coddling
  5. babying
Verb
  • The loss was Boston’s eighth in 12 games, spoiling Chad Tracy’s first game as manager after the club named him its 49th in team history.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Sep. 2026
  • That’s 10 games against teams that don’t have much to play for, aside from spoiling Toronto’s season.
    — Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of spoiling
Verb
  • And of course there’s a bookstore in town for indulging your inner Rory.
    — Beth Luberecki, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026
  • From turning heads on the sidewalk to indulging at a local pub, the London native hits the streets with a touch of British humor and charm.
    — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of indulging
Verb
  • The backstory For most of my life, the Old Dutch Inn has been just a faint memory of kicking my legs from a bar stool, drinking a Shirley Temple next to my late grandmother, who would likely have been nursing a gin and tonic.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Mike, with his sharp features and small, dark hands, is probably at the Silver Spur right now, nursing his glass of vodka, two rocks, no twist.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of nursing
Verb
  • The gentle, foaming elixir feels soft on skin, rinsing away dirt and makeup while hydrating and coddling with flaxseed oil.
    — Elizabeth Siegel, Allure, 17 Sep. 2026
  • North Carolina politician says Democrats are coddling criminals Records also list a September 2025 simple-assault charge and a March 2025 charge of assault on a female.
    — Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of coddling
Verb
  • No one’s babying him (at Houston).
    — David Aldridge, New York Times, 21 June 2026
  • Conceivably one or two of them should have already been at Citi Field, but until finally summoning McLean to pitch Saturday, Stearns has been babying them in the minors.
    — Bill Madden, New York Daily News, 16 Aug. 2025
Definition of babying
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

mollycoddles
mollycoddling
molt
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Cite this Entry

“Mollycoddling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mollycoddling. Accessed 27 Sep. 2026.

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